Prepare for a holiday full of fun and fantasy

With summer school holidays not too far off, I am reminded of the trip I took to Kuala Lumpur with my grandson Lala recently. Malaysia is an exciting place to visit and Lala thought that even the airport was exciting! Underneath the international airport is a train that whizzes you into the city in exactly 17 minutes.

After a quick swim in our hotel pool we looked at the sightseeing options on offer. We wanted to see the biggest open-air bird park in the world as well as the nearby butterfly park and then there was the newly-opened aquarium, not to mention the biggest indoor theme park in Asia.

With everything on offer, we decided to make a sightseeing plan. First, we strolled down Bitang Walk to experience the city from the sidewalk. Eating breakfast at an open air café, we watched the people hurrying to work and the tourists strolling around. Malaysia seems to be a cultural mixing pot with people from all over the world working, visiting and living here.

With such a list of places to see during our weekend, we set off on the bus and jumped out at various tourist spots all over the city.

We especially liked the open-air aviary where more than 3,000 birds fly free beneath a huge wire canopy. The aviary has a big collection of Hornbill birds and one very vain peacock who followed us around, demanding we take his picture!

The next stop was the museum, where we were captivated by the displays and stories of old Malaysia. Lala was particularly interested in the Spice Route story that began in India and stretched around the known world. It was nice to see that stories such as the Ramayana had also been carried along the Spice Route.

Back on the bus for the next stop — the KL Aquaria, where you can stand under glass tunnels and really imagine yourself under the ocean. We tried to imagine what on earth the fish thought of all these strange humans inside their world and the expression on the face of a manta ray had us in fits of laughter.

With all that educational tourism under our belt there was only one thing left to do and something we recommend to you as the best family destination in all of Kuala Lumpur: the gigantic indoor theme park inside Berjaya Times Square. There is something for everyone there, including a heart-stopping roller-coaster ride and a less scary Fantasy Garden.